''The Gardener'' ( sv, Trädgårdsmästaren) is a 1912 Swedish silent

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in ...

. It is mostly known for being the first film to ever be banned by the Swedish censor system. It was long thought to have been lost, but in 1979 a copy was found at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

in the United States. The Swedish premiere followed on 14 October 1980 when it was shown at ''Cinemateket/Bio Victor'' in Stockholm.

Plot

A gardener (Sjöström) runs a farm, and his son (

Gösta Ekman Hans Gösta Gustaf Ekman (; 28 July 1939 – 1 April 2017) was a Swedish actor, comedian, and director. Career Ekman was born in Stockholm, Sweden, and was the son of the director Hasse Ekman and Agneta (née Wrangel). Ekman represented t ...

) has fallen in love with the daughter of one of the farm workers (

Lili Bech Lili Bech (born Lily Beck; 29 December 1883 – 20 January 1939) was a Danish silent film actress. She appeared in 27 films between 1911 and 1917. She was married to film director Victor Sjöström. Selected filmography * '' The Gardener'' ...

). The gardener, who has an interest in the daughter himself, furiously runs the son out of the house. One day, the gardener rapes the worker's daughter and then sends her and her father (Gunnar Bohman) away, fearing discovery. While on a boat on the way into the city, the two meet an old general (

John Ekman John Ekman (15 November 1880 – 22 November 1949) was a Swedish film actor. Biography He first trained as an artist under Richard Bergh (1858-1919). He was employed by various theater companies; Swedish Biograft Theater in Kristianstad (19 ...

) who gives the girl money and his business card. When the father later dies, the girl reaches out to the general, who lets her act as a hostess at his dinner parties. Soon after, the general suffers a seizure and upon his death, his family and friends kick the girl out. The devastated girl returns to her home village. Distraught, she visits the greenhouse where she pulls out all the flowers and curses the gardener. The next morning, the gardener finds her dead among the roses.

Production and censorship

''The Gardener'' was filmed during July and August 1912 at the studio of the Swedish Cinematic Theatre in

Lidingö Lidingö, also known in its definite form ''Lidingön'' and as ''Lidingölandet'', is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561. It is ...

with outdoor scenes taking place as Nackanäs inn and surroundings at Järla and Sickla lakes, as well as aboard the cruiseship Nackanäs I. Cinematography was headed by Julius Jaenzon. Although ''

A Ruined Life ''A Ruined Life'' ( sv, Ett hemligt giftermål eller Bekännelsen på dödsbädden) is a 1912 Swedish silent film directed by Victor Sjöström. It was Sjöström's debut film as a director. Plot Georg, the son of a wealthy colonel, is secretl ...

'' is considered to be his debut film, as it was the first to premiere, ''The Gardener'' was Sjöström's debut production as director. His past experience in film was limited to a few cinema visits which is why he, along with

Charles Magnusson Charles Magnusson (26 January 1878 – 18 January 1948) was a Swedish film producer and screenwriter. Career In 1894, Magnusson's job was a professional photographer in Sweden and in 1905 he changed careers to be newsreel camera operator. ...

, visited the studios of

Pathé Frères Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipme ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

as a learning experience. Claiming the film was contrary to "good practices" and for embellishing death, the film was banned from public screenings by Swedish authorities on 20 August 1912. In an attempt to appeal the ban, a special screening with Prime Minister

Karl Staaff Karl Albert Staaff (21 January 1860 – 4 October 1915) was a Swedish liberal politician and lawyer. He was chairman of the Liberal Coalition Party (1907–1915) and served twice as Prime Minister of Sweden (1905–1906 and 1911–1914). Staaff ...

and other ministers was arranged. The censors' decision was upheld. ''The Gardener'' premiered on 17 October 1912 at the ''Victoria-Teatret'' in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Cast

- the gardener *

- the gardener's son *

- the girl * Gunnar Bohman - the girl's father *

- the general *

Mauritz Stiller Mauritz Stiller (born Moshe Stiller, 17 July 1883 – 18 November 1928) was a Swedish film director of Finnish Jewish origin, best known for discovering Greta Garbo and bringing her to America. Stiller had been a pioneer of the Swedish film ...

- boat passenger

Distribution titles

The Swedish Film Database lists the film as having distribution titles in five different languages, other than the original Swedish title: * ''Et Offer for sin Ungdomskærlighed'' (Denmark) * ''Offer for sin Kjærlighed'' (Norway) * ''The Broken Spring Rose'' (USA) * ''Brutna vårblomster'' (Finland) * ''Taittuneita kevätkukkia'' (Finland)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gardener (1912 film), The 1912 films Swedish silent short films 1910s Swedish-language films 1912 drama films Swedish black-and-white films 1912 short films Films directed by Victor Sjöström 1910s rediscovered films Swedish drama short films Rediscovered Swedish films Censored films Silent Swedish drama films